Late Monday, Apple released iTunes 8.1.1, the latest version of its multimedia/jukebox application for Mac OS X. The new version, a 68 megabyte download, offers the following fixes, changes and new features:

Adds support for renting HD movies.

Provides a number of bug fixes, including addressing issues with VoiceOver and syncing with iPhone or iPod touch.

iTunes 8.1.1 is available for free, requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later to run and can be snagged using Mac OS X’s built-in Software Update feature.

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Late Thursday, virtualization softare maker VMWare released version 2.0.3 of its Fusion software for the Mac.
Similar to other virtualization software packages, VMWare allows users to run alternate operating systems such as Windows and Linux distributions on Intel-based Macs at native speeds. Other features, such as Unity, allow users to run and minimize Windows applications from the Mac OS X Dock.
The new version, a 286 megabyte download, offers the following new features and fixes:

Resolves an issue where driverless printing stops working for users that run Mac OS X 10.5.6, and installed Apple Mac OS X Security Update 2009-001. The shared printers would disappear from Windows. If you configured your printer differently as a workaround, turn on driverless printing feature again by clicking Virtual Machine > Settings, selecting Printers, and selecting the Enabled check box.

Provides experimental support for Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server as a guest operating system. You can now run the current Snow Leopard Server builds (32-bit kernel) in a virtual machine.

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Video Lan Client, the nigh-indispensable open source media player for multiple audio and video formats (MPEG, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, Divx, ogg, etc.), has recently been updated to version 0.9.9. The new version, a 19.2 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and changes:

Fullscreen behaviour on Windows with multiple screens.

Workaround bug with libxml2 >=2.7.3.

Video performance on Intel-based Macs.

Various decoders updates on Windows.

VLC 0.9.9 requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later to run and is available as a free download.

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On Thursday, shareware developer Maintain released version 4.3.3 of Cocktail (Tiger Edition), Cocktail, the popular shareware utility program that allows for additional Mac OS X system tests.
The new version, a 1.9 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and changes:

Major improvements on the clear potentially harmful files procedure.

Added clearing of the latest (F and G) variants of the RSPlug trojan horse.

Added clearing of the Inqtana.C worm.

Updated Automator actions.

Cocktail 4.3.3 retails for a US$14.95 shareware registration fee and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later to run.
If you’ve tried the new version and have any kind of feedback about it, let us know in the comments or forums.

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Late Monday, Carbon Copy Cloner, the shareware favorite for drive cloning operations by Mike Bombich, has released version 3.2.1 of the program. The new version, a 2.7 megabyte download, adds the following changes:

Resolved interface issues with non-English localizations.

Resolved an issue in which, in some circumstances, rsync was unable to create a directory if the parent directory was locked.

Addressed a codesigning issue that would prevent CCC from launching in some cases on Mac OS X Tiger.

Resolved an issue in which the Authentication Credentials installer package would not install on certain installations of Mac OS X Tiger.

Carbon Copy Cloner 3.2 retails for a US$10 shareware registration fee. The application requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later to run.
If you’ve tried the new version and have either positive or negative feedback, let us know in the comments or forums.

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On Wednesday, Mozilla.org released version 3.0.8 of its Firefox web browser.
The new browser, a 17.3 megabyte download, boasts two unspecified security changes.
The program requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later to install and run.
If you’ve tried the new browser and have any feedback about it, let us know over in the comments or forums.

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Yesterday, Apple released updates to…well…pretty much everything, so if you’ve got a few free minutes to spare and wanted to use Software Update, you’ll have a field day.
First among the updates is the company’s iPhoto 8.0.2 update. The new update, an 87.9 megabyte download, improves overall stability and addresses minor issues in a number of areas, including Faces, Places, photo sharing, and slideshows.
Next, Apple released its iWork 9.0.1update1 patch, a 42.7 megabyte download, that, oddly enough, lacks specific fixes in its description but is offered as a recommended update for all iWork 9.0 users.
Then, the company released its iMovie 8.0.1 update, a 24.5 megabyte download designed as a bug fix for the recently-released iMovie 8.0 video editing application. The new version improves overall application stability as well as addressing minor issues related to usability.
Finally, Apple released iWeb 3.0.1, the company’s update to its WYSIWYG HTML editing application. The new version, a 14.2 megabyte download, addresses issues when publishing to an FTP server and other minor issues.
The updates requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later to install and run.
If you’ve tried the updates and can offer any feedback, please let us know in the comments or forums.

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Late Thursday, Apple released its iLife Support 9.0.2 update, a four megabyte download designed to improve overall stability and addresses a number of other minor issues. The update is recommended for all users of Aperture, iLife 09, and iWork 09.
Like most patches, the file can be located and installed via Mac OS X’s built-in Software Update feature.
The update requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later to install and run.
If you’ve tried the update and have any feedback to offer, please let us know how it went in the comments or forums.